(Yellowknife, NT)
Email: gsciexecutivedirector@learnnet.nt.ca
Website: www.gwichin.ca
Description: The Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute (GSCI) is the cultural and heritage arm of the Gwich'in Tribal Council (GTC). It was founded by the Gwich'in in the Northwest Territories following the signing of the Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement in 1992, in response to concerns about the erosion of the Gwich'in culture and language and to carry out GTC heritage responsibilities outlined in the claim. In the fall of 1993, the Institute began operations with the mandate to document, preserve and promote the practice of Gwich'in culture, language, traditional knowledge and values. Since 1993, the GSCI has carried out over 50 research projects, many of them multi-year, on place names and traditional land use, ethno-botany, ethno-archaeology, elder's biographies, and knowledge repatriation (replication of 19th century caribou skin clothing). Identifying sites for special management under the Gwich'in Land Use Plan and nominating National Historic Sites and NWT Heritage Sites in the Gwich'in Settlement Region have also been important initiatives. Further to this, GSCI has been involved in developing traditional knowledge and burial sites policies for use in the Gwich'in area, and provided input into heritage policy and legislation in the NWT and Yukon. During the course of many of these projects we have dealt with IPR concerns related to ownership, access to knowledge, interpretation and management of heritage resources. We are pleased to participate in this project as a partner. We see this as an opportunity to network with a world-wide team of heritage and other experts on IPR issues including other First Nations who are dealing with similar issues.
